PDP accuses Otti of autocracy, warns against anarchy in Abia
By Emma Ogbuehi
Abia chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has accused the governor, Dr. Alex Otti and his political party, the Labour Party (LP) of engaging in undemocratic acts, amounting to a descent to autocracy against the residents of the State. PDP warned that in varying forms and degrees, these acts are becoming more distasteful, embarrassing, obnoxious and would destroy the fabrics of democracy in Abia if allowed to fester.
PDP raised the allegation in a press release signed by its Vice Chairman/Acting State Publicity Secretary, Elder Abraham Amah, made available to TheNiche. Among the issues raised by the party, it accused Otti of disregarding the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic which he swore to defend as well as the House Rules of the Abia State House of Assembly, when he worked for his minority Party in the House of Assembly to produce the Speaker of the 8th Assembly.
PDP alleged that despite its earlier warning to the governor against the interference, he went ahead with the undemocratic action. “In the end we were vindicated when Emmanuel Emeruwa of the Labour Party became the Speaker despite the fact that he is from the minority Party and also not a ranking member of the House”, the statement noted.
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It further alleged that Otti in perfecting the action, delayed issuing of the Proclamation for the inauguration of the Assembly to have only members of the Labour Party present. “When that failed, the governor rather than leave after the inauguration as is customary, to allow the members to carry out their first legislative assignment which is the election of the leadership, stayed back to supervise the election and in the process interfered with election of the leadership which impinges on the independence of the legislature”, it stressed.
The release further accused Otti and the Labour Party of changing the House Rules, by using members of his Party who are in the minority as Majority Leader and Deputy Majority Leader; positions which are by law reserved for members of the majority party in the parliament, and in this case the PDP.
“A few days after our warning, members of the Labour Party who are in the minority in the House were unilaterally appointed by the Labour Party as Majority Leader and Deputy Majority Leader of the House respectively, even when the PDP as of right had officially written to the House, nominating its members for the positions reserved for the majority Party. Aside from not reading the letter in the House plenary as required by parliamentary convention, the Labour Party also ignored the nominees of the majority PDP. And today, there is chaos in the Assembly as members of the PDP have outrightly rejected the nominations of members of the Labour Party into those offices”, PDP stated.
The release accused the governor of building a toxic political climate which would turn around to haunt and hurt everybody in the future if not checked.
It recalled that in the 24 years that the PDP held forte as the government in Abia State, there was not a single time that it used its executive powers to shortchange the opposition Party either in the House or any function in Abia State.
Chronicling the acts of executive recklessness against the governor, PDP alleged that recently he set up a Commission of Inquiry on Recovery of Public Property against wise counsel, but would not allow the Commission that he set up to work before engaging on media trial of members of the past administrations by making statements indicating that he has already found people guilty even before court trial.
It noted that it is irresponsible for the government to continue to attack former public servants and accuse them of malfeasance even when the courts have not tried them and found them guilty. “It is also very dangerous to engage in such acts that betray the emotions of public officers which make them come across as having deep personal hatred for people who merely did their official duties as officers of the government”, the release added.
PDP warned that the journey to autocracy comes in piecemeal steps but the reverse to democracy takes a revolution, adding; “Now is the time to check those piecemeal steps and save ourselves from the tumult of an uncertain future”.
It called on the leadership of the National Assembly as well as members of the Civil Society Organisations to beam their searchlight on the ongoing illegal deconstruction of the Abia State House of Assembly and other acts of lawlessness in Abia under the watch of Dr. Otti to avert the making of a despot in the state.